took a class at the iowest in hollywood on writing pilots. the teacher had worked on sesame street and snl before being part of a comedy festival in the uk. out of that he got a pilot script at the bbc. so i guess the easy answer is "write american tv and get involved in britain"

All I know of British writing is that the BBC gives people the opportunity to send in their pitches for original TV. I would look into that.

Skins, the TV show, employs writers under the age of 21 which was mind-blowing for a 24-year-old like myself.

If you live in the UK, the best bet is the BBC through their writersroom website. You could also try to do a trial episode for one of their leading soaps (Doctors, EastEnders, Holby City, Casualty).

BBC also do an annual Writers' Academy, which is a fast(er) track to the aforementioned soaps. This year's deadline is next week (5th May) so if you have a professional credit to your name, you can apply.

Alternatively, you could try sending your scripts to independent production companies and hope to get in with them, or develop your original idea, but unsolicited scripts, as usual, won't get read (unless you do a bit of hustle). So, having an agent is a big plus.

There are some other schemes here and there - Channel 4's Coming Up strand e.g. - and some writer competitions of note - Red Planet Prize (which I coordinate) but the Beeb is generally the best bet. Networking with the right writers/script execs/production companies also might generate opportunities.

*getting my coat*